Jennifer Cheung

Jennifer Cheung likes to think big.

She’s worked with Australia’s largest airline and the world’s largest car manufacturer. Still, she says she didn’t find her purpose until she was asked to help create her own role at Australia’s largest supermarket chain Woolworths Group (Woolies).

“I went for an interview for a mergers and acquisitions role and talked about my sustainability-focussed MBA from Griffith,” she says.

Woolies was impressed by her outcomes-based approach to sustainability and rang her to tell her she didn’t get the job, but they had an idea.

“They asked if I would be interested in working with Sustainability in Woolies instead.”

After completing an initial four-month contract, together, they designed her new permanent role as Finance Manager Sustainability–Woolworths Group.

“Every day, my role provides financial rigour and governance around the Woolworths Sustainability Plan. The plan includes a mission to transition to 100% green electricity, have zero food waste to landfill, and net positive carbon emissions,” says Jennifer.

“My role supporting these sustainability goals is twofold: I work across the business to understand the financial investment against the Woolworths Sustainability Plan, and I support the Sustainability Chapter, which reports to the Chief Sustainability Officer.

“I also get to use my unique position within the Woolies finance community to be a sustainability champion to get them excited and interested about sustainability,” she says.

Jennifer’s passion for sustainability stems from her childhood in a picturesque New South Wales coastal town.

“We were the only Asian family in a tiny town in the 80s, which was challenging, but it was an amazing experience as I saw nature in its purest form.

“I would go to sleep hearing the ocean, look out my window and see thousands of birds, and dig pippies on the beach after school. There would be so many Christmas beetles at our front door at Christmas time you had to shovel them out of the way.”

Jennifer says the contrast was stark when her parents packed up the family and moved two hours north to Blacktown in western Sydney.

“In Sydney, I remember not hearing any birds, and I thought, what have we done to create this situation where there is no bird song and no Christmas beetles?

Before landing the Woolies role, she spent nearly a decade with Qantas performing hands-on finance and project roles. As a result, she built a solid range of finance, commercial and people skills, including helping to develop the FIFO (fly-in fly-out) charter business for Qantas Regional Airlines.

She took those skills to Volkswagen Group as Group Financial Controller and further honed them by working with the German manufacturer and the Australian dealer network.

Jennifer had done pro bono and other roles, but she was looking for more.

“I realised my daily work had no meaning. So, I decided to fill my cup with something purposeful.

“I resigned and took a career sabbatical to finish my MBA, not knowing a global pandemic was about to unfold.

“But it was meant to be. When Woolies made that life-changing phone call, I’d not long finished my MBA, and everything I had learned about sustainability was top of mind.

“What I have learned is that organisations can’t transform and bring sustainability initiatives to life without governance, rigour, and systems, and Woolies has shown me organisations can be both for profit, and for purpose.

“Without the knowledge gained from my studies and passion for sustainability I demonstrated in that interview, this life-changing opportunity would never have arisen.

“It’s a challenge to ask people the tough questions: Have you thought about sustainability? What is the budget for this initiative? Where is the funding coming from?

“But my cup is full,” Jennifer says.